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| 8/4/2009 6:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | |
| | for more info | • Visit the Colorado Weed Management Association's Web site at http://www.cwma.org/nx edid.htm; and click on "Mediterranean sage" under A List weeds.
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Mediterranean sage makes List A
Kristen Plank
Journal Staff Writer
A new weed found recently in Montezuma County could potentially pose a big problem.
Don Morris, the county's weed supervisor, found Mediterranean sage, a biennial plant spanning 1 to 4 feet in diameter and reaching up to 3 feet tall, on private property last month.
"They're pretty invasive," Morris said. "It can take over and it can crowd out everything around it."
The weed is a List A species on the Colorado Department of Agriculture's noxious weed list. Noxious weeds are nonnative and invasive plant species.
There are 18 plant species on List A, which has weeds that are not well established in Colorado. List A species are potentially a large problem to this state, and require mandatory eradication by local governing agencies, wrote Kelly Uhing in a report. Uhing is the state weed coordinator for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
List B species are common within the state, where eradication is not feasible, though efforts are still made to suppress these species. List C species are "widespread and well-established."
According to the Colorado Noxious Weed Act, every local government must develop weed management plans for their area. Morris has been monitoring the Mediterranean sage plant, which was discovered off U.S. Highway 184 near County Road 30.
After the discovery was made, other state officials were notified, including Uhing and Mark Tucker, rangeland manager for the San Juan Public Lands Center in Durango.
"I went out and mapped it, and put the location on a GPS (global positioning system)," Tucker said.
Tucker lauded Morris's team for catching and attempting to control the weed in the early stages, before it became a widespread issue.
"It was a huge deal, and they did a great job," he said. "That's the best you can do, is find it early."
There have no been reports of the weed anywhere else in Southwest Colorado, Tucker said. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the weed is mostly located in Boulder County.
Morris estimates the weed totaled one-fourth of an acre on the local property, but was spread over eight to 10 acres. Quick control of a List A species is ideal so that the species does not spread and become a hazard in the area.
The Mediterranean sage could potentially be a big problem, as mature plants can produce 100,000 seeds each. Even after Morris dug and bagged up each of the plant's rosettes, the site must be treated chemically and monitored for years later.
"We are trying to get rid of the basic seed source," Morris said. "We will take care of it as it comes along in the budget."
The weed supervisor is not sure how the weed came to be located in the area, but Morris will do as much as he can to eradicate the plant. He plans on monitoring the weed's progress every few weeks and will chemically treat the area in the spring.
For more information on the Mediterranean sage, visit the Colorado Weed Management Association's Web site at http://www.cwma.org/nxwdid.htm and click on "Mediterranean sage" under A List weeds.
Reach Kristen Plank at kristenp@cortezjournal.com.
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